RFPs: Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program

The program is designed to recognize journalists from around the world who demonstrate a high level of professional excellence and accomplishment as well as a long-term commitment to their craft.

Funding Information

• Fellows receive an $85,000 stipend paid out in installments over 9.5 months
• A travel and housing stipend paid near the start of the fellowship
• Basic health insurance for each fellow and their family

What they expect?

• If applicants are selected to participate in the KSJ Fellowship at MIT, they must meet the following expectations:
  • Reside full-time in the Boston/Cambridge area for the MIT academic year, which runs from mid-August to May.
  • Attend field trips, seminars, and required training sessions arranged by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program.
  • Develop a course of study that includes at least one science course per semester.
  • Refrain from outside paid professional work during the Fellowship, unless written permission has been granted by the director.
  • Produce a well-thought-out research project during the academic year.

Eligible Activities

• The fellowship program is divided between activities arranged by the Knight Science Journalism staff and self-directed activities:
  • Seminars: Fellows’ time in Cambridge is enriched by regular seminars from top researchers and media professionals.
  • Field Trips: KSJ organizes several trips each year to locations of special interest to science and technology writers.
  • Skill-Focused Workshops: The number of storytelling channels open to journalists is multiplying, and they want our Fellows to return to the workforce with more technical skills than they had coming in. Each year they include a few skills-based workshops.
  • Course of Study: Fellows audit courses at MIT, Harvard, and other colleges and universities in the area. As long as fellows include one science course each semester, they have immense flexibility in choosing the suite of courses they wish to attend. Professors of these classes must approve the fellows’ request to audit.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be full-time journalists, whether on staff or freelance. Part-time writers or producers are not eligible.
• Have at least three consecutive years of experience covering science, health, technology and environmental reporting.
• Be reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, filmmakers, or photojournalists. This includes work for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and digital media.
• Applicants must not have completed a fellowship of four months or longer during the two years prior to applying for the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship.

Application Requirements

• Each applicant must submit the following documents:
  • Professional Autobiography: Describe, in 500 words or less, why you want to participate in the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program and how it fits with your professional goals.
  • Resume or Curriculum Vitae: Provide a brief overview of your education, work history, and professional honors. (Freelancers should include a list of freelance jobs completed in the past 12 months. Include each story, venue, and date of publication or broadcast.)
  • Research Project Proposal: Describe, in 500 words or less, a project you intend to develop during the fellowship year. The goal is for fellows to create a project that uniquely leverages their time and experiences at MIT, using the resources and connections available to them while they are here. The research project must be based in journalism, but it can expand beyond traditional parameters and be created in any format: long-form, story series, multimedia, video, audio, installation, etc.
  • Please note: The research project may be a book proposal, but fellows may not sell the proposal during the fellowship year, nor may they arrive with a contract to write a book during the fellowship year.
  • Five Work Samples: Please provide five relevant work samples. Choose samples that best illustrate your interest and abilities. Please include a translation for any work not produced in English.
  • Three Professional References: Please provide three letters of recommendation. Letters should come from individuals familiar with your work and should comment on your abilities and your commitment to journalism. Applicants will provide the names and contact info for their recommenders in the application form, and letter requests will be sent to the recommenders automatically.

For more information, visit KSJ.